by AJ Alexander
“A little bit higher,” Audrey directs me as I reach slightly higher. She steps back once again before pronouncing the sign perfectly even. “Now you can start the grill, everyone should be here in an hour or so.”
“Where’s my rifle?” I mumble, climbing down from the ladder. Audrey giggles as she wraps her arms around my neck.
“You’re going to have to let them grow up, they aren't little girls anymore.”
“Growing up is going to the movies alone or learning to drive, not having boys come to my house while they are half naked.”
“Daddy! Calm down, you know everyone in this town. Do you honestly think anyone will do anything when you could just text their parents?” Jade whines as she comes bounding out of the back door onto the deck.
I continue to grumble as I unwrap my arms from around Audrey and head to our outdoor kitchen to start the grill. I look out over the deck railing on the large in-ground pool the girls convinced me to put in when we built this house. We’ve only all been together here for a few months, but it feels like forever. Wanting to have a fresh start with Audrey, Vance and I built her dream house a few miles outside of town. Our craftsman style house has a beautiful wrap around porch, the perfect place for Love and Audrey to mediate and do yoga first thing in the morning.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.” I turn and smile at Love as she brings me a large platter covered in hamburgers and hot dogs. Although a recent development, my heart swells each time I hear her call me Dad. Jade and I are still thick as thieves, but I’ve formed a special bond with Love. Being a free spirit like her mother, Love needed more time to come to trust I wouldn’t hurt her or her mother, but we got there. It helps that she is in on my little secret.
Audrey isn’t in a hurry to get married, but I had other plans. I’ve been searching for the right time to get down on one knee for the past few months, but it never seems right. I reach into my pocket, gripping the black box holding the ring the girls and I had made for Audrey. Maybe today will be the day. ““Is everything ready?” I ask Love in a hushed tone.
“The cards are sitting on the kitchen counter. There’s no way my mom will resist reading our cards before the party.” She gives me a quick thumbs up before scurrying back inside.
After some prodding, Audrey explained to me about reading tarot cards and why it was such a major part of our lives. I can’t say I understood everything, but I know how much they help her stay focused and on the right path. If a card helped her discover we were meant to be together, maybe the card can help me find the right moment to propose.
As if on cue, Jade and Audrey come barreling out of the door and take a seat at the table. “Mom, you need to read Dad’s cards,” Jade whines, throwing me a wink over Audrey’s shoulder. “I need to know if I should warn Mason he might kill him.”
I try to cover my growl with a cough. Mason is Roman’s son. They moved here a few months ago when Roman decided to build a luxury hotel right next to Seaside Heights. Instead, he became a permanent resident, falling in love with Leia, the owner of the small Bed and Breakfast; but that’s their story to tell.
“He wouldn’t kill him, neither of us want him to go to jail.” Selina steps onto the patio with her and Vance’s three month old daughter, Brittany, strapped to her chest. Vance finally convinced her to marry him shortly after they got back together, but we all suspect it had something to do with them announcing she was pregnant shortly after. Whether that was the case or not, Selina and Vance are almost as in love with each as Audrey and me.
“Who are we killing?” Vance asks before slapping me on the back. “It’s only murder if we get caught.” We both laugh loudly right as the door bursts open again and Rebekah comes barreling out of the door followed closely by her parents, Seth and Bristol.
“I’m off duty. If you get arrested, I can’t help you,” Seth says as he wraps his arms tightly around Rebekah’s waist, lifting her into the air. He whispers something in her ear before she apologizes quickly. Seth places her feet back on the ground and she runs toward her mom. Although they had a rough start, I’ve never seen either of my friends happier. Now if only I can get my happy ending.
I leave Vance to man the grill and head over to all the ladies sitting at the table. Stepping up behind Audrey, I lean down and place a kiss on her cheek, “What do the cards say is in store for us today?”
Audrey gives me a quizzical look before pointing down at the cards, “Since you weren’t available, I told Jade I would read my own. I asked what my future holds, but their response is puzzling.”
I look at Love and she smiles brightly, wrapping her arms around Jade. Tears fill both their eyes as they jump up and down slightly, “Tell him what they say, Mom,” Love whispers.
Audrey points at the top card and begins explaining, “This card is the Hierophant card, it represents tradition. The next card is the Justice card, which makes sense if I have to bail you out of jail tonight, but that last card is what confuses me.” Her hand moves over to the third card, pointing to what seems to be a man and woman holding cups and facing each other. There is a face with wings drawn above them, as if it’s presiding over a ceremony. “This card is the two of cups which symbolizes commitment.”
I chuckle in response, understanding the meaning of the cards quickly, “Well if the cards say it’s time …” I grip the back of Audrey’s chair and turn it to the side, before dropping down to one knee, and pull the black box from my pocket. “Fate has brought us together, whether it be your deck of tarot cards or a higher power. I will love you and our daughters for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
Audrey’s hands fly to her mouth as tears fall from her eyes, “Yes!” She screeches so loudly my ears ring before she throws herself at me, toppling us both down onto the deck. Cheers erupt from around us as I bring her in for a passionate kiss.
Audrey always believed the stars were against us, but if this moment proves anything, it’s that our love was written in the stars.
Thank you for reading Jaded by Love!
Wonder how Selina and Vance finally find their happily ever after? Find out what happens when an injured Prima ballerina returns home to find her first love waiting to make her his once again.
Seaside Do Over coming February 2021
Turn the page to get a sneak peek at the next installment in the Written in the Stars series, Balanced in Love by Jennifer Woodhull.
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Balanced in Love
Taylor
“Mrs. Deveraux, do you admit to having shot Mr. Gaston on the date in question?”
Judge Conroy nearly yells the question at the eighty-two-year-old defendant in an effort for her to hear him clearly.
“Well, of course I did.” Her hand swats at the air in exasperation. “I told you, he keeps trying to steal my puss-puss!”
The gallery tries unsuccessfully to hold in a collection of titters, resulting in awkward coughs into palms and snorts into handkerchiefs.
Conroy pulls off his silver-rimmed glasses and tosses them on the desk before dragging his plump palms down his face to dislodge the beads of sweat peppering his brow.
“Mrs. Deveraux, I have asked you to stop using that expression. And as for you,” he grabs the head of his gavel and waves the handle through the air, pointing at the snickering gallery. “If ya’ll don’t stop laughing and making faces, I will clear this courtroom, understood?”
I catch the eye of my friend Nick, who sits in the first row. He has his lips sucked in between his teeth, mouth shut tight, trying to hold in a laugh. I draw my brows together, feigning admonishment. It wouldn’t do for the sketch artist to get thrown out of court, so he narrows his eyes to glare at me and quickly turns away, trying to keep it together.
“Look, Your Honor, I came home from bingo, and there he was, right on my front step. He was stroking her right in front of me. What was I supposed to do? So, I took out my gun,
and shot him right in the face. Puss-puss flinched—she was startled, you see, by all his flailing around.”
Mrs. Deveraux punctuates her description by throwing her arms in the air and gyrating wildly.
The assembled crowd can’t control themselves. They all start roaring with laughter.
“They’re laughing at you, ya know.” Mrs. Deveraux jabs a bony finger in the air toward the Mr. Gaston. “You looked ridiculous.” She crosses her arms, turning her nose up triumphantly.
“You shot me with Tabasco sauce, you lunatic!” Gaston puts his hands out, palms up, and gestures between Mrs. Deveraux and Judge Conroy. “You see what I deal with, Your Honor?”
Conroy bangs his gavel repeatedly. “Order! Order in this courtroom and I mean now.” He tilts his head in my direction and meets my gaze. I grin and give him a subtle half-shrug.
He rolls his eyes, turns back to the courtroom and bangs his gavel again. “I’ve heard enough. Defendant, please rise.”
Mrs. Deveraux looks around for a moment. Gaston points at her. “He means you.”
“Oh!” She puts her gnarled fingertips on the edge of the table. Her stance is unsteady, but her demeanor belies a confidence as solid as the hundred-year-old courthouse we’re standing in.
Judge Conroy casts a stern look in her direction. “Mrs. Deveraux, this is a very serious matter. You could have caused grievous injury to Mr. Gaston here, or had he not been known to you, he might’ve perceived you as an imminent threat. Had he been armed, none of us would be in this courtroom today, and instead, your family would be visiting you out at Forest Lawn. Do you understand the seriousness of your actions?”
“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t have shot him.” She looks down, like a scolded child, before pleading her case. “But he should leave my puss-puss alone, too.”
Gaston rolls his eyes, folding his arms across his chest in a huff.
“Do you wish to add anything before sentence is imposed, Mrs. Deveraux?”
She opens her mouth to speak, raising one finger in the air, then closes it again, and shakes her head.
“Josephine Deveraux, I find you guilty of simple assault against Raul Gaston on the fourth of May at your residence, number eight-twenty-two Landis Avenue in the city of Charlotte. I hereby sentence you to time served. I am releasing you on your own recognizance, and you will pay restitution for the pain and suffering of Mr. Gaston in the amount of two thousand, five hundred dollars, plus the fees of this court.” Judge Conroy leans forward, looking the octogenarian assailant square in the eye. “And Jo, I don’t wanna see you back in my courtroom, now, you understand?”
“All right, Emmett.” She quickly puts her fingers up to her lips, realizing her slip. “I mean, Your Honor.”
He nods once and strikes his gavel against the sound block decisively.
“Do I get my gun back?” She asks, raising her finger in the air.
Conroy turns to the bailiff. “It is further ordered that Mrs. Deveraux’s weapon, one blue and green Super Soaker water gun, be destroyed so it can bring no further harm to the fine upstanding members of Mrs. Deveraux’s community. We are adjourned for lunch.” He bangs his gavel once more and nods in my direction. “Miss Tarver, my chambers.”
I follow the judge through the back exit of the courtroom, my heels clip-clopping furiously against marble tile floor as I try to keep pace. A moment later, we step through the large, oak door of his chambers.
“Millie, can you order…”
“On your conference table.” His assistant of the past thirty years flashes a smug grin and winks at me as we pass. “No pickle. I checked.”
“Better not be a damn pickle in there.” He mumbles, absent-mindedly waving a hand in the air as we walk into his office. He hangs his robe on the coatrack by the door, grabs a box from the table and sits down in the large, leather chair behind his desk, expelling an exasperated groan as the chair creaks under his considerable size.
I drop my files on the table, walk over to the mini fridge, and grab two bottles of water. Setting them down on his desk, I grab my boxed lunch, and sit down in the guest chair across from him.
“That was a doozy.” I say with a sigh.
“How many this afternoon?” I swallow the first swig of water and quickly stand to grab my iPad from the stack of files and pull up the calendar. “Three this afternoon. Tomorrow’s worse, I’m afraid. Seven.”
“Seven?!” He exclaims through a bite of turkey sandwich, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth as he swallows. “Jesus, be a fence!” He casts his eyes upward to accompany the exclamation. “How Wallace and Humphries are both out the same week is beyond me, but I will not stand for it again, I can promise you that.” He nods once, and tucks back into his sandwich.
“So, since she called you Emmett, I take it you know Mrs. Deveraux?”
He chuckles. “Well, she has wiped my ass a time or two, so you could say that.” He raises a brow, his eyes dancing as he looks over to see if I’ll take the bait.
I think for a moment, then snap my fingers. “Your babysitter? That’s it, isn’t it? She was your babysitter when you were little.”
“Damn. Nothing gets past you anymore Taylor. I may have to see about getting a new clerk who doesn’t know all my stories.”
“No one else will put up with your shenanigans. Besides, you love me, and you know it.” I scrunch my nose and take another bite of egg salad.
“You got me there. I do like having you around.” He grins. I really have grown on the old curmudgeon.
He’s the gruffest judge in the lower court and went through five clerks in the three years before I came on board. In reality, he’s a total teddy bear once you get past that tough exterior. He just expects excellence from everyone. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through that first week in his courtroom, but four years later, I’m still here.
There’s a rap at the door, and Millie cracks it open. “Your appointment is here.”
“Show her in.” The judge’s eyes glimmer with excitement as he kicks off his shoes and leans down, with some effort, to peel out of his socks. As he does, a familiar blonde with her hair pulled back in a ponytail comes in and starts setting up beside his desk. “You doing all right, Judge?”
“Good, Sara. You? How’re the boys?”
“They’re little hellions. I keep telling ‘em they’re gonna end up in your court if they don’t watch their asses.”
She busies herself unfolding a collapsible stool and plugs in the cord to the small foot bath in the wall socket behind her.
I decide now, while he’s on the cusp of his weekly indulgence in relaxation, is the best time to remind him about my upcoming time off.
“Damn. I forgot all about that. You sure you don’t want to push that back? Take your time the same week I’m out next month?” He arches a brow, mustering all the charm he can with his grin. “That box of steaks I send you for the holidays might be twice as big this year.”
I chuckle, crossing my arms as I sit back in my chair. “I always appreciate your holiday gift, but I’m afraid my mind is made up. My friends and I are all going to the beach. You’ll be in very capable hands with Levi.”
I know Conroy is set in his ways and isn’t a fan of the court clerk who fills in whenever I’m absent.
His face screws up into a scowl and he shakes his head. “I suppose I can’t stop you from taking your time.” He looks off for a minute, as if searching his brain for some statute that will let him cancel my vacation. “No, no I don’t suppose I can. Well, I hope you enjoy yourself while I’m stuck here with some blithering idiot taking your place.”
Sara pours water from a large thermos and begins rolling up the judge’s pant legs. “Now, you tell me if it’s too hot.”
Conroy’s feet disappear into the foamy water of the pink bath that’s barely big enough to contain them. He lets out a long, slow breath and his hulking form softens as the wave of relaxation takes over him. “No ma’am. It’s perfect.”
&nbs
p; “Good.” She smiles at him, patting the side of his knee, and unrolls her kit. She cranes her neck a bit, looking down at my feet, which are crossed at the ankle under my chair. “I’ll be at the shop when ya’ll finish for the day if you wanna come by, Taylor. I got some new pinks in—that brand you and your friend like.”
“Not today, but I’ll see if Gabi and I can make it by the shop tomorrow night.” I smile, taking the last bite of my sandwich as I scroll through the rest of the week’s calendar.
Sara gets to work on Conroy’s feet, and he slumps back in his chair, a goofy grin across his usually stern face. I grab his phone, unlocking it with the passcode I’ve known for years, and set an alarm for ten minutes before we’re due to be back in the courtroom.
“Alarm’s set, sir. I’ll be back before it goes off.” He gives me a half-hearted wave off without opening his eyes and I head across the street to see if my best friend Gabi is available.
I need to get the details for our trip next week. Most importantly, I need to prepare myself if Ethan’s going to be there. A week in the same house with him will be tough enough. With him and my brother warring over what happened between Ethan and me might make this the least relaxing vacation of all time.
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Written in the Stars Series
Book 1 - Reluctant in Love by Rebecca Gallo
Book 2 - Bittersweet Love by QB Tyler
Book 3 - Daring to Love by Karen Ferry
Book 4 - Price of Love by Erica Marselas
Book 5 - Intrigued by Love by Sienna Snow
Book 6 - Drowning in Love by Kelsie Rae
Book 7 - Fearless to Love by Harlow Layne
Book 9 - Balanced in Love by Jennifer Woodhull
